5 things to know in Florida for Dec. 13

Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

MISSING AMERICAN IN IRAN WAS ON UNAPPROVED MISSION

A Florida man who vanished nearly seven years ago in Iran was working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence-gathering mission that, when it came to light inside the government, produced one of the most serious scandals in the recent history of the CIA — but all in secret, an Associated Press investigation found.

NASA SUSPECTS BAD VALVE FOR SPACE STATION TROUBLE

The astronauts aboard the International Space Station dimmed the lights, turned off unnecessary equipment and put off science work Thursday as NASA scrambled to figure out what’s wrong with a key cooling unit. One of two identical cooling loops shut down Wednesday when the line got too cold because of a faulty valve. The system uses ammonia to dissipate heat from on-board equipment. Mission Control ordered the six-man crew to turn off some science experiments and other non-critical equipment; the powerdown continued Thursday.

US COAST GUARD WARNS HAITIANS AGAINST SEA VOYAGES

The U.S. Coast Guard is releasing an ad in English and Creole begging Haitians not to attempt to illegally immigrate by boat after dozens of recent deaths and a spike in voyages across the rough waters between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

FEDS JOIN BATTLE AGAINST CITRUS DISEASE

The federal government is getting involved in the fight against citrus greening disease, in hopes of saving Florida’s — and possibly the entire nation’s — citrus crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it’s creating an “emergency response framework” to battle citrus greening. It will gather various groups, agencies and experts to coordinate and focus federal research on fighting the disease.

HEALTH OFFICIALS: BOY, 4, DIED FROM MENINGITIS

A 4-year-old Pasco County boy who quickly became ill and died had contracted bacterial meningitis, health officials confirmed Thursday. Tests confirmed Amonti Saunders had the infection in his system. All those who had contact with the child have been given antibiotics as a precaution.